Xavi Hernandez could manage Barcelona one day, reveals Club President Bartomeu

Barcelona, Jul 22: FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has backed former player Xavi Hernandez to become a first-team coach for the club in the coming years.

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Xavi joined Barcelona as an 11-year-old and became a legend at the club playing in the first team for 17 years.

The club legend, Xavi made 767 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan outfit, winning eight La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys and four Champions League crowns before leaving Camp Nou for Qatar based side Al Sadd in 2015.

The 37-year-old is currently maintaining a dual role of player and coach there and earlier revealed that he wishes to return to Barcelona one day as a coach.

The Catalan club's President has also now hinted the same, stating that it was the club's objective for former captain Xavi Hernandez to one day manage the first-team and he is using his time properly at the Qatari club to explore a future role in Barcelona.

"He's right now not only playing, he's also learning as a coach. So of course one day Xavi will be one of the coaches of the club," Bartomeu said.

"I don't know which team of ours, but of course with the objective of one day coaching our first team."

Bartomeu also suggested that he also wishes to see Xavi's former teammate and current Barcelona Captain Lionel Messi staying at the club and continue with Barcelona in any role as he is irreplaceable.

"When he will give up playing football, he will continue with Barca," Bartomeu said.

"It will be very difficult to find in the future a player that is going to be like him. He will be for years and years the best player of the world. We don't know where is his end, his limits."

"Because in 2014, we had a bad season that year. Leo Messi came after that summer, reinvented himself with a new coach, with new players, and, well, you see, Leo Messi, he's playing much better now than he was playing before."

Barcelona had a miserable 2016/17 season after they lost the La Liga title to rivals Real Madrid and were knocked-out in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

The last season's Copa Del Ray winners are now targeting some major coups to bolster their team further and have already added Benfica right back Nelson Semedo to fill the void left by Dani Alves' departure two years ago.

They also re-signed former La Masia academy graduate Gerard Deulofeu from Everton by activating a buy back clause.

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